DESBOROUGH COLLEGE
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
YEAR 11 PRIZE GIVING
July 2016
STUDENTS SUCCESS
Dear Parents/Guardians
JACK RUTTER VISIT
SPORT
TRIP TO GREENWICH UNIVERSITY
JUNIOR PRESENTATION
YOUNG WRITERS’ COMPETITION
YEAR 13 LEAVERS MEAL
YEAR 7 HOCKEY TRIP
CAREERS DAY
JUST GIVING
PRIMARY SCHOOL COMPETITION
NRICH ROADSHOW
STAR FACTOR
RUGBY
SPORTS DAY
STUDLAND BAY
BUSINESS STUDIES NEWS
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
I write it every year, but I’m going to write it again: where has the year gone? The Year 7 boys who arrived in September as nervous, timid new members of our school community are seeing the school year out as confident, assured young men; the Year 13 boys are preparing to take the next steps into adulthood; the Year 11 boys who, since September have been reminded on a daily basis of the importance of their examination results in shaping their future lives, are now enjoying their long summer break before the publication of their results in August. The school year has passed very quickly, but it has been immensely enjoyable and overwhelmingly successful: we are expecting excellent examination results at KS4 and KS5, have enjoyed many sporting successes and expanded our extra-curricular offer to all year groups. We will be welcoming almost 170 Year 7 boys to our school in September and this will be the largest cohort for a number of years. Of course, these achievements are the result of a lot of hard work and I have to say a big thank you to the Desborough College staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the year. I started my teaching career in 1979, have worked alongside many excellent colleagues over the years and can say with confidence that, collectively, the Desborough staff are the best that I have worked with: talented, committed and ambitious for the boys. The people who make up the governing body at Desborough are rather special, too, and have been a huge help to me personally throughout the year, offering me the challenge that all head teachers need. In particular Margaret Brown, who has been Interim Chair in Nigel Cook’s absence, has been extremely supportive. Radley College have, as ever, been immensely generous in their support for our school, providing us with expertise and resources and giving Desborough boys experiences and opportunities normally denied to pupils attending state schools. They don’t have to, but they choose to and are committed to our partnership next year. As head teacher I know that their contributions have had a very positive impact. As parents, and crucial partners in your children’s education, you have been overwhelmingly encouraging of our strategies to maintain the year-on-year improvements taking place at Desborough and I thank you all for that. I hope that the summer holiday brings some sunshine and lots of opportunities for you all to relax and have fun together as families.
POETRY
DRAMA NEWS
As for myself, I shall take my own advice and spend time with my family, recharge my batteries and then put in place the plans that will make next year even more successful.
TECHNOLOGY
Regards
NEWS
ART/ PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Year 11 Prize Giving 2016 Friday 27 May 2016 saw the running of this year’s annual Year 11 Prize Giving Ceremony. This event celebrates the many academic achievements of boys throughout their final year in full-time education and has a look back at their time here at Desborough. A student is nominated from each department to win the coveted Year 11 Award. The ceremony this year also gave the opportunity for the students to present the Teacher of Year Award for the most dedicated and inspirational teachers. The winners were chosen by the students. The awards this year went to Miss Carr for “Most Dedicated Teacher” and Mr Miller for “Most Inspirational Teacher.” The runners-up were: Mr Craig-Wood, Mr Clawson, Mrs Holyoake-Lloyd, Mrs Seth, Mr Fogerty, Mr Matthews, Mrs Samson, Mrs McFarlane (nee Smith-Phelps), Mr Wright, Mr Horsell, Miss Rhodes and Mr Snell. It is clear from the list of runners-up that the students have been influenced by so many teachers during their time here. This event is the final chapter for the Year 11 students of Class 2016 and we wish each and every one of them the greatest success in the next exciting chapter of their lives. Mrs Holyoake-Lloyd – Raising Achievement Leader for Year 11
Year 11 Prize Giving 2016 English Maths Biology Chemistry Physics Science Double
Will Palmer Aman Sangha Zach Hill David Symons Abdurrahman Choudry Ateeq Iqbal
Kieran Towmey
BTEC Science Business studies Computer Science French German Spanish Geography History Art Photography Drama Music Music BTEC Catering Construction Digital Media Graphics ICT PE RM PD Sport BTEC
Nathan Willis Remy Hall Tim Fyffe Peter Coull Tim Fyffe Aman Sangha David Symons Remy Hall Fraser Miller Will Palmer Will Palmer Victory Mabungu Ben Cox Ben Cox Ifrahim Akhtar Harley Swadling Fraser Miller Abdurrahman Choudry Rayyan Madarbukus Shahab Hussain Phillip Wells Elio Mandozzi
Billil Hussain
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Victory Mabungu
Rayan Madarbukus
Aman Sangha Jonathan Evans
James Johnstone
Sam Orton
Mustapha Jamil
Josh Bosher
Maiden Rookie Win for Harry King Monday 6 June: Rising star Harry King in Year 10 maintained his impressive recent form in the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship with a maiden rookie class victory in the latest round of the season at Oulton Park. The 15-year-old, from Holyport in Berkshire, made the trip north to Cheshire looking to build on his best weekend of the year to date at Thruxton where he secured his first rookie class podium finish of the year. Qualifying around the picturesque Oulton Park circuit saw Harry post the 15th quickest time, despite being just 1.3 seconds away from the fastest lap. Making up places when the opening eight lap encounter got underway, Harry fought his way forward to twelfth place by the chequered flag, lapping quickly and consistently and securing third place amongst the rookie racers; his third straight class podium finish. From the same position on the grid for race two, Harry made up two spots on the opening lap to run inside the top ten, and would stay out of trouble as a number of his rivals clashed on track to fight his way forwards into the top eight by lap three, heading the rookie drivers in the process. A collision involving two drivers behind would result in the Safety Car being deployed and with marshals unable to remove one of the stricken cars before the race was scheduled to finish, the decision was taken to call the result with seven laps complete. It meant Harry extended his run of rookie class podiums to four with a first class victory of the campaign, and he headed away from the weekend just eleven points away from the top ten in the championship standings. “Despite my success at Thruxton, I expected Oulton Park to be a lot more difficult as it isn’t one of my strongest circuits and I felt it would be a good weekend if I could get a rookie podium from it,” he said. “To come away from it with two podiums and my first rookie win is fantastic, and more than I was hoping for. Oulton Park is a totally different circuit to Thruxton so it’s a big positive for me to show that I have the pace at two tracks that are so different to each other. Thruxton is quite wide and very quick, here it is much tighter and more technical but I was still on the pace of the front-runners and am going home with more silverware. Getting the first win under my belt is another boost to my confidence and hopefully I can keep my current run going at Croft next time out.”
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Tennis Success for Nick Rowe—Year 9 Nick started off playing tennis when he was 5 years old at Maidenhead Lawn Tennis Club. He trained in their performance squad 2-3 times a week and reguarly played tournaments at the weekends. Last September, he and his parents decided it was time to move on from Maidenhead in order to progress further and focus more on tennis. Nick has now been training at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre with Living Tennis Academy since the beginning of the school year. He plays tennis 5 mornings a week before school for an hour and a half, and on Mondays and Tuesdays he has been fortunate enough to also train there in the early afternoons, followed by fitness sessions which consist of either strength or metabolic sessions. Additionally, private coaching sessions on Thursdays focus on tactics and technique. Nick competes in 2-3 tournaments a month. Last month he was selected to play for Berkshire where he won 4 out of 5 matches. He found it a great experience playing with a team and being away from home for a long weekend. Nick’s ambition is to achieve a high national ranking and play on a full scholarship for a division 1 USA college tennis team. After this, he would like to get an international ranking and see where his tennis can take him. Well done Nick!
George Elliott – Year 10 : County Rugby for Berkshire George started playing tag rugby at the age of 5 for Slough Rugby Club, where he went on to win player of the season. He then moved to Phoenix Rugby Club for a couple of seasons where he again won player of the season. At this time he trained every Sunday for a couple of hours and also entered tournaments and matches regularly. After playing for Phoenix Rugby Club, he then moved to Maidenhead Rugby Club where he has made massive progress with the help of the coaches, the support of the team and George’s own dedication and determination to be a great player. George plays as hooker for Maidenhead and has won U12 Player of the Season, in a very powerful local team, as well as being part of the winning U13 Brean Sands Tournament Champions Team. At 13, George went on to trial for Berkshire County and London Irish Academy, for which he was selected. This involves training three times a week for two hours at a time, as well as making time to still put as much effort into school as he does with Rugby. He has continued to trial and qualify for U14 Berkshire County and London Irish Academy, and he continues with the training which includes lessons in nutrition and body conditioning. All of this happens while still playing and becoming League Winners in 2015 for Maidenhead Rugby Club. George has recently been selected for U15's Berkshire County and London Irish Academy Rugby Programme. Well done George!
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Explore Learning National Writers Competition Cameron Crawshaw in Year 8 entered the Explore Learning National Young Writers Competition 2016 and was invited to an Awards Evening on 21 June. Please see below an e-mail sent to Cameron’s family from the Explore Learning Team:“Your child sent us a fantastic story based on a mash-up of two genres, and we enjoyed it so much we would like to present them with a certificate of achievement. The evening will run for approximately 30 minutes and will include a number of awards and presentations to our wonderful young writers from across the local area. The winner of the competition will be announced at the event. We were so impressed with his story, particularly his use of such vivid imagery and descriptive language. Definitely a fantastic aspiring writer with lots of potential! We would we be thrilled if you and your child could join us for this occasion.”
Well done Cameron!
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Desborough Student Awarded a Place at Central School of Ballet In London Jake Milston in Year 10 has been awarded a place at the Central School of Ballet in London which he will attend on Saturdays during term time for a full day of lessons. Central School is one of the top schools in the country for classical ballet so Jake is very pleased and excited at this fantastic reward for his hard work. His family are very proud. Well done Jake!
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Rowing Success for Desborough Students Well done to Oliver Taylor in Year 10 and Ross Taylor in Year 13 for their success with rowing. Oliver Taylor has had a very successful rowing season with Henley Rowing Club, winning a national Bronze medal in his J15 double at the new Junior Sculling Regatta in May. He has also achieved seven wins at other regattas in both double and quad events, and represented Thames Upriver region at the Junior Inter-regional Regatta. He is hoping for further success at the upcoming British Junior Championships this month. Ross Taylor achieved his first win at senior level in his novice single at Marlow Spring Regatta in May. Well done to Oliver and Ross!
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Jack Rutter visit to Desborough - 17 June Desborough College had a special guest visit in the summer term, which was ENG & GB Paralympic 7-A-Side Football Captain, Jack Rutter. At 18, Jack Rutter was an aspiring Premier League footballer who had spent eight years with the Birmingham City Academy. But in 2009, just months before he was due to find out if he would be offered a professional contract, he was criminally assaulted which left him with brain damage and deaf in one ear. His injuries were so severe that Jack’s football pathway changed and in 2012 he started playing cerebral palsy football. Within 12 months Jack made it into the England squad and in 2013 was made England Cerebral Palsy Captain. Strong performances at the 2014 European Championships and 2015 World Championships, have paved the way for Jack to lead the Great Britain CP football team at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Jack provided a motivational talk about his life experiences and truly inspired the boys about over-coming difficult challenges. Furthermore, he delivered a coaching session to Year 7 and Year 8. We are delighted to announce that we are welcoming Jack back as Guest Speaker at the Sports Awards evening. Mr Furmage— Deputy Curriculum Leader for PE
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Year 7 Football This season was very successful for the Year 7 football team. They managed to get to the semi-finals of the County Cup and were runners-up of the East Berkshire Schools Cup. They did fantastically well to make it to the final in the East Berkshire Schools Cup and had to overcome five schools to get there. The boys finished top of their group which included schools such as Furze Platt, Holyport College, Cox Green and Altwood. In the semi-finals they beat Sandhurst and narrowly lost to Piggott in the final. With such a positive first season, it will be exciting to see how the Year 7 football team progress in Year 8. Mr Furmage—Deputy Curriculum Leader in PE
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Kwik Cricket Competition for Primary Schools On 21 June Desborough hosted the Year 5/6 Kwik Cricket Competition as part of the Ascot & Maidenhead School Sport Partnership Competitions Calendar. The event was a huge success and saw 160 children from 16 teams take part in a well organised and enjoyable cricket competition, which saw Oldfield and Courthouse share the honours and qualify for the County Finals. 15 Desborough students volunteered as Sports Leaders and all matches were umpired by them. They had been trained by Berkshire Cricket and did a fantastic job on the day. This was a joint venture with Berkshire Cricket and I would like to say thank you to Mark Foster and his team of coaches for organising the day. A huge well done to the following boys and thank you for their help on the day: Adam White, Harry Coombe, George Elliott, Raja Khan, Sameer Latif, Kai McCann, Cameron Rai, Louis Rainford, Ammar Ayub, Raj Pahl, Jasraj Mahil, Ibrahim Sajid, Matt Worsfold and Salah Mahmood. Thank you to all the staff at Desborough who took part, particularly Mr Brar.
Emma Fitzgerald Partnership Development Manager, Ascot & Maidenhead School Sport Partnership
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Trip to Greenwich University On the 22 June all Year 12 students took a trip to Greenwich University for the UK’s largest UCAS fair. Over 180 Universities were present! The pupils were also able to visit seminars, the topics ranging from studying Law to living in halls of residence. Thankfully we had chosen the one sunny day of this summer as the journey was a long one! The pupils navigated the London tubes and trains perfectly and left with bags full of prospectuses and ‘freebies’. But more importantly they left with questions answered, on a pathway to a successful future.
Mr McInerney—Head of Sixth Form
Junior Presentation On 23 June, the school celebrated the effort and achievements of students in Years 7, 8 and 9. The hall was packed with proud parents and relatives of the prize winners. Mr Frazer pointed out that these pupils were the future of the school and would have enormous success in their public exams. Parents commented on the outstanding behaviour of all the boys as they waited for their name to be called and receive their prize on stage. After the event, parents and students were invited to join staff in The Legacy Garden where refreshments were served. Another successful event at Desborough. Mrs Eaves—Senior Assistant Principal
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Assembly For Winners of Young Writers’ Competition
Tony Hill of the Rotary Club in Maidenhead came to Desborough on 24 June to present the school winners, Harry Hodgkinson and Joshua Hills, with their certificates for the Rotary Club of Maidenhead Young Writers Competition. Tommy Norcup, who came first in the district, was also awarded prize money and a trophy. The boys also read their entries aloud, with the help of Elkan Dillon! Tony Hill congratulated Desborough for our keen effort and creative skill, saying he looks forward to our entries next year. Well done to all those who took part; it’s not easy submitting work to be judged but you all did us proud!
Mr Craig-Wood—English Teacher
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Year 13 Leavers Dinner 28 June Year 13 celebrated leaving school alongside staff at the Maidenhead Golf Club. After a short speech from Paul Frazer, the Head Boy and Head Girl made pre-dinner speeches and awarded prizes to staff who had gone the extra mile in supporting them during the year. The evening was characterised by a great deal of camaraderie and good fun in a lovely setting. We wish all the students a great summer and look forward to seeing them on results day when we hope their hard work will be recognised in outstanding results. Mrs Eaves Senior Assistant Principal
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Year 7 and 8 Hockey Trip to Olympic Stadium On Monday 30th June, 25 boys from Year 7 and 8 were lucky enough to visit the Olympic Hockey Stadium to watch Great Britain v South Korea in a must win game for the hosts. After a long and very rainy journey to Stratford, the boys were entertained to a skill fuelled game in which GB stars such as Ashley Jackson and Barry Middleton put on a show for the crowd, eventually coming out on top, 4-1. The trip was put on as a well done to both year groups for a fantastic Hockey season, with the Year 8’s showing excellent development and the Year 7’s reaching the Southern Regional stages. It is safe to say that Hockey is making a comeback at Desborough! Will Furmage—Deputy Curriculum Leader of PE
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Careers Day 1 July
Year 12 Careers Information Day at Desborough College saw the reunion of three former students. Having been in the same year group, the boys joined in the event to provide an insight into life post Desborough College. Pictured above we have left to right: Alex Lesniak, currently a third year medical student at Barts; Nick Jones, who graduated from Portsmouth University last year with a Degree in Geography and is currently a trainee teacher at Desborough College and Charlie Kerns (former Head Boy) who has just graduated with a First Class Mechanical Engineering Degree from Coventry University. It was delightful to see them back at their old school and they were very much impressed by all the changes that have taken place since their departure. We are grateful to them for giving up their spare time to help out at this event and for providing support to the students looking to make important decisions regarding their future. Pictured right, Alex Lesniak giving his perspective on life as a medical student to current year 12s.
Just Giving— Emotional Support for Young People Charlie Kerns came into school on 1 July and spoke to groups of pupils in Years 9, 10 and 12 about how to deal with the stress and anxiety they may experience as young people facing exams and other pressures of life. He talked movingly about losing a friend earlier this year who was also a former pupil at Desborough College, Greg McHugh. He and a number of friends from Desborough as well as Newlands Girls’ School are raising money for a charity called “Papyrus” and are taking on the challenge of the Welsh Three Peaks. As a school we have taken this charity to heart and are supporting him with fund raising. Below is the link for more information. The charity is set up in the name of Katie, one of the fund raisers.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thewelshthreepeaks
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Maths & Science Primary School Competition—1 July Representatives from 7 local primary schools arrived at Desborough College for the annual Primary Schools Maths and Science Competition ready for some fun. After one hour of unusual problem solving Wessex Primary School and White Waltham Academy were in the lead, earning their first 10 points. Talented Year 7 students entertained their younger peers with an interpretation of the story of Phiddipidis – first marathonian (thank you to the Drama Department for this representation). The students also engaged in an individual time table drill. This time again, Wessex were in an excellent position as their team had amongst them the fastest pupil to complete the task 100% accurately. After a short break consisting of playing some ping pong and table football, the science challenge was handed out to each team. In 50 minutes, the students had to design and build the best parachute to land an egg safely. Creativity, team work and excitement was felt in the hall, while primary school teachers worried about the safety of the egg! However, every team produced a thoughtful design. A special mention should go to Courthouse and All Saints whose parachutes managed to really open and catch the air, assuring a very soft and safe landing. The winner of the science round was Courthouse with their beautiful design. However, the 5 points earned by Wessex for coming 2nd place in this final round gave them the highest total score, and therefore were the overall winners. Very well done to all of the team, and a big thank you to our 8 Year and Year 9 pupils who helped coordinate the event. Mrs Morgan – Maths Teacher & Whole School Numeracy Co-ordinator
Want to try one question? A collection of sheep and turkeys have a total of 99 heads and legs between them. There are twice as many turkeys as there are sheep. How many of each are there? 16
NRICH Millenium Roadshow On Tuesday 5 July, the NRICH Millenium Roadshow visited Desborough College again. This time, it was the turn of Year 8 students to enjoy solving mathematical puzzles for an hour. It was great to see all of them so enthusiastic, ready to tackle unusual problems, and demonstrating great perseverance and creative thinking - a great experience for everyone. "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer". Albert Einstein Mrs Morgan—Maths Teacher & Whole School Numeracy Co-ordinator
Please see below one of the problems Year 8 students attempted to solve. Could you do it? All you need is a few dominos.
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Star Factor 2016— 6 July Star Factor 2016 showcased the amazing and varied talents we have at Desborough. The hall was filled with students and their families who attended to watch the acts perform. We were treated first of all to the school jazz band which opened with jazz versions of Britney Spears and Bruno Mars. Ruben and Austin particularly shone when playing the French Horn and Saxophone. We then listened to the Year 7 percussion duo of George and Jack on steel pans and drum kit. The show consisted of dancing as well with Wallace and Thubani showing their street dancing skills and GCSE dance performer, Jake’s stunning ballet routine which amazed the crowd. Soloists such as Leo and Nic showed what talent we have in Year 7 too with Leo playing some difficult Grade 7 drum solos and Nic bravely singing Bohemium Rhapsody acapella! There were also band items from Year 8, where Luke Chester particularly showed his piano skills and Ralph, Oscar and Lucas played the songs they had learnt in Music over the past year. The Year 9 + 1 band didn’t disappoint, sneaking in a touch of Justin Timberlake to their performance. Oli, Rob, Austin and Jo always do a great job. We were also treated to a rare performance of brother combination from Connor and Alex Lee from Year 13 and 7 respectively. Will Cairns demonstrated his new hobby of juggling and Jacob showcased his skateboarding skills, via video of course! The KS3 Drama Club performed a smashing version of The Government Inspector with Nat and Alex playing lead parts very well. The staff also took part with Mr Miller proudly reading a poem in Gaelic and Mrs Holyoake-Lloyd singing some Beyoncé, I also sang a song supported by Thulani in Year 13 who, as ever, stole the show. It was a debut performance for Ewan and Aidan who have only been playing saxophone for 6 weeks; a great first show for them both. Well done boys! Mr Hall hosted the event making the whole evening come together so well. Miss Rhodes and Miss Kelleher made the evening creative by having Art and Technology work on display as well. The winners of the evening were picked by the fantastic judges taking on different roles; funny judge Mr Clawson, fair judge Mrs White and the not-so-silent anymore Miss Pankhurst! The winners were…. 1. Lawrence Eaves 2. Connor and Alex Lee 3. Will Cairns 4. KS3 Drama Club 5. Nic Crossa I was very proud of the work and effort all students and staff put into making this year’s Star Factor such a great evening. What talented boys we have at Desborough. I look forward to next year’s concert and the Christmas celebration in December. Mrs McFarlane—Curriculum Leader of Music
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Star Factor 2016 Photos
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Rugby Starts at Desborough Wednesday 6 July saw the new rugby season begin at Desborough with over 70 boys benefiting from expert coaching delivered by the London Irish Community Team. The boys from all year groups within the school enjoyed a fun and challenging session designed to get them in the best possible shape for the start of the season in September. The work done in the session will mean that all squads will hit the ground running for what will be a new adventure in September with teams taking part in national and county cup competitions. Mr Allen—Head of Rugby
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Sports Day 2016 Desborough College's Annual Sports Day was held on Friday 8 July 2016. Each student in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 took part in at least one event from the 100m to the Long Jump to the Shot Putt and many more. Congratulations to Elgar house for winning a third consecutive Sports Day with 1306 points, dated back to 2014. Dickens were second with 1257 points, Constable third with 1225 and Brunel finished fourth with 1199 points. I would like to thank all the students and the many staff (teaching and non-teaching) that went the extra mile to make the day such a success. Looking forward to Sports Day 2017! Mr Hamilton—Curriculum Leader of PE
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Studland Bay Biology Trip On Friday 8 July, a group of Year 12 Biology A Level students visited beautiful Studland Bay to carry out an ecological investigation. Studland Beach is renowned for its sand dunes and an excellent example of biological ‘Succession’. After a drive down from Maidenhead and a short journey on a chain link ferry we had a picnic lunch on top of the largest sand dune with an outstanding view of the coastline. Then the students set to work recording the vegetation present using a quadrat placed every 5 metres along a measuring tape leading away from the beach and into the sand dunes. Physical measurements of the soil were also taken and eventually the group reached the trees marking the end of the investigation. After an eventful walk through the heather there was time for an ice cream before heading back home. Mr Brockett – Curriculum Leader of Science
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GCSE Business Studies Visit From Sue Brett—Founder of Brett Foundation & Food In Business Studies, our Year 10 boys are busy carrying out research for their GCSE controlled assessment on Social Enterprises, and have chosen to investigate how business principles could be applied to combat the issue of homelessness here in Maidenhead. To help with their research, we were delighted to have a visit from Sue Brett, founder of both the Brett Foundation and also Foodshare. Sue gave the boys invaluable insight into the issue of homelessness, the work that has already been carried out in the area as well as her ambitions for her charities. Our students posed some brilliant questions and ensured they gathered as much primary data as possible for their reports. To thank Sue, the boys are currently dropping donations off in the Business Studies office for the foodbank, Foodshare, and we look forward to bringing this down to the charity before the summer holidays. If you would like to support the work of the Brett Foundation, or know someone who could benefit from being put in contact with them, more information can be found at www.thebrettfoundation.org.uk Thanks Sue! Mr D Clawson Curriculum Leader of Business Studies
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STEM Workshop in Business Studies To wrap things up in the Business Studies department this year, we were delighted to host staff from Hitachi Europe, who have their headquarters here in Maidenhead, and who facilitated a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) workshop for some of our Year 10 boys. The teachers from STEM subjects nominated 20 students to take part, which I’m sure was a difficult task given the amount of talent in Year 10, and the boys certainly didn’t let us down. The aim of the session was to give the boys more insight into STEM related careers, the important skills needed, and a taste for the type of challenges they might face in the industry. The boys completed a series of challenging tasks (I’d certainly given up by the first one) and persevered until one group was crowned the winner. You can see (L-R) Raza, Austin, Oscar and Oliver proudly displaying their prizes in the photo below. I’m convinced all boys who took part have come away with a much greater appreciation for STEM subjects and careers, have reflected on their own skills and areas for development, as well as had an insight into the commercial world of Hitachi. Well done! Mr D Clawson Curriculum Leader of Business Studies
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University Challenge Desborough University Challenge has been running since Christmas and took place every Friday in the Jacoby Studios, often drawing sizeable crowds of spectators. Every year group in the school took part, including sixth-form, and each team greatly impressed us with their knowledge. We would like to congratulate the winners of our first competition: Miller’s Angels (Jonathan Nankivell, Jake Milston, Oliver Taylor and Oscar Wallis). They defeated Draco Ex Interfectoribus (Joe Brookman, Raza Rashid, Robert Matthews and Austin Heath) 70 – 55. Miller’s Angels are the first recipients of the Miller’s Tales Cup. Mr Miller would like to stress that none of these names were chosen by him. Both the Year 10 teams in the final appeared secure in their previous victories throughout the competition. The final was destined to be a tense match, especially since all of the boys are in the same English class. Fortunately for Miller’s Angels, they were able to edge into the lead early on and Draco just couldn’t find it in them to catch up again. We also welcomed a visiting team from Newlands Girls’ School. The girls gave the boys a fright in the opening rounds, quickly answering some tricky questions on the EU. However, over the course of the game, the boys’ experience allowed them to take the lead and rack up the bonus points. The final score was 85 – 55 in Miller’s Angels favour. As a reward, Miller’s Angels were whisked away on a tour of the Reading University campus and Library. They are looking forward to taking on a staff team after the summer break and our Head of English, Miss Hutchison, says she will not be having a holiday this year in preparation. A massive thank you and well done to all who took part and to all those who came to watch every week. Zakariyya Ifsasse—Year 10 and Mr Miller—Literacy Co-ordinator and English Teacher
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Year 9 Found Poetry Found poetry is created when people take phrases or words from a text and use them as building blocks for their poem. The Year 9 students have chosen their own words and phrases from Of Mice and Men and have created a series of poems. Each pupil chose their own styles and forms. Lipogram without ‘R’ by William Cairns It was silent outside, no sound, the footsteps died away as I lay down, it made me think, why is this happening to me? Silent Outside by Kai McCann He became distraught The force of the loss had hit him But he couldn’t cope with the thought Silent outside as everybody mourned Mike was never meant to be caught Shrill by Sammy Barnes His voice trailed off into a shrill cry It was silent outside like a thief in the night The footsteps died away and an eerie silence crept into the room. Hoot by Jack Hogg It was silent outside, then the hoots of the owls rippled through the stagnant night. Lennie leant on his knees next to the lake. He heard a gnawing sound. Silence Prevailed by Craig Slattery Silence prevailed along the barn as the mouse’s last squeal echoed in Lennie’s ears as he broke down wailing out, creating a river of his relentlessness after another innocent victim’s life is lost after another one of Lennie’s heavy handed patting sessions – he shattered the pup’s skull pat after pat. Lennie had planned a thought out funeral for this poor little creature. As he buried the innocent rodent the town lay silent as the ceremony finished and Lennie’s footsteps died away as he came out at night and into the clearing as if it was back to normal.
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Drama Report Year 7 Performers Showcase Their Talent The KS3 Drama Club presented an abridged version of ‘The Government Inspector’ at Desborough’s talent contest, Star Factor. Led by a highly talented Nat Harlow as the inept Mayor of the town, the performance was fast paced, amusing and appropriately absurd. With sleeked back hair and vibrant pink trousers (courtesy of Mrs Harlow), Nat showed confidence with his lines and characterisation from an early stage in the rehearsal process and embraced the debonair role well. Alex Fairbridge played the mistaken inspector incognito with a cool suave attitude, enjoying his comic asides to the audience. Fantastic characterisation and vocal projection was demonstrated by Nick Crossa who fully embraced the absurd and satirical nature of the play with his exaggerated roles. Fully in role in every rehearsal, Nat, Nick and Alex are talents to watch! Tom Choules joined the Drama Club quite late on but learnt his lines, researched his character and got his costume sorted amazingly quickly. Showing great energy and imagination, Tom is a budding actor in the making. Max Baker (and Mrs Baker) must be congratulated on Max’s fine costume that set the tone of wealthy opulence. Max was also responsible for embellishing the published script by adding small scenes and shows real talent as a scriptwriter. James Hargreaves was barely recognisable under his guise as a Russian official; wearing a hefty moustache, eyebrows and Russian hat, James embraced his role with much imagination and showed great resourcefulness when collecting props and costume. The talented Ryan Khan and Declan Diamond both learnt their lines with ease and performed with intelligence, originality and energy, showing superb commitment to rehearsals. Charlie Chadwick, Jacob Gillett, and Tommy Norcup are all exciting performers, communicating characters imaginatively through strong facial expressions, gestures and movements. Enjoying the farcical style and introducing lots of creative ideas in rehearsal, these three performers helped to shape and accessorise the performance. Aiden Melling demonstrated great technical expertise researching music and sound appropriate for the performance. Showing an instinct and creativity for timing and volume, Aiden’s role as a supporting technician is one to watch for the future. I would like to congratulate the ensemble for their commitment to rehearsals and their creativity and intuition when following direction. A talented bunch that have been a pleasure to work with! I very much look forward to their progress as theatre makers. Mrs Turner— Curriculum Leader of Drama
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Drama Report Continued ...
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Technology News Year 7 Year 7 students have not only designed their own toy airplanes, they have now finished manufacture with some eally great planes being completed. They are all on their flights home for the end of term. Year 7’s have also sat their first end of year exam in Technology which has been a great experience for them.
Year 8: Year 8 students have also finished up manufacture of the clock projects. This has been very successful, with students learning how to use new machines and processes like the mortise machine for their joint work. We have also had students designing and laser cutting their own clock faces.
Year 9 Year 9 students have been hard at work designing and manufacturing their own storage units. These will be going home at the end of term and some wonderful pieces are being made. Year 9 students have been working hard on exam prep for their summer exams as well as preparing for their GCSE courses beginning next year.
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Technology News Continued ... Key Stage 4 and GCSE exhibition GCSE Product Design and Resistant Materials students have been busy working on their coursework pieces. Many of them looked at storage solutions, furniture, lamp and clock design. The classes have been working on these pieces in lessons, after school and on Saturday workshops to complete them in time for their deadlines. We have been really happy with the outcomes of this work, seeing some great designs come to life. Some of the products are shown below. The rest were displayed at our exhibition on the 6 July. It has been a pleasure to work with such talented and hardworking students.
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Technology News Continued ... Kier Construction Talk to Year 10 Pupils: We were delighted to welcome back one of our previous students, Jake Piper and his colleagues from Kier Construction to provide a talk about career prospects and opportunities within the construction industry. The boys were engaged and delighted to hear from a Desborough boy! Opportunities for work experience next year as part of their studies will allow the boys to get some more hands on experience. It was really great to have one of our students come back to inspire the students here at Desborough and to offer them such great opportunities.
To keep up to date with what is going on in Design Technology follow us on Twitter! @DesboroughDT
Miss Kelleher—Curriculum Leader of Technology
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Art and Photography Report by Miss Rhodes Curriculum Leader for Art and Photography 33
Information for Parents Our mobile App is now live on both Apple and Google Play Stores; you can stay in touch with our Events, News and receive free push notifications from us!
To download visit the Apple or Google App Stores and use the Username: Desborough Pin/Password: 6345
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Information for Parents Continued .. DESBOROUGH LEGACY
DESBOROUGH LEGACY DESBOROUGH COLLEGE EMAIL: legacy@desborough-college.net TEL: 01628 762552
DESBOROUGH STANDING ORDER AUTHORITY 2016 -2017 Please return this form to the school office for the attention of Nuria White STUDENT NAME:____________________________________FORM:_____________________ PLEASE COMPLETE IN BLOCK CAPITALS, SIGN AND RETURN TO MRS NURIA WHITE. I WISH TO ESTABLISH A NEW STANDING ORDER AS FOLLOWS: PARENT/GUARDIAN DETAILS:_________________________________________________________ ACCOUNT IN THE NAME OF :__________________________________________________________ BANK & BRANCH NAME:__________________________________________________________________ BRANCH ADRESS:_________________________________________________________________ SORT CODE:______________________________________________________________________ ACCOUNT NO.:____________________________________________________________________
TO PAY: FRIENDS OF DESBOROUGH HSBC : ACCOUNT 90559261 : SORT CODE 40-31-05 AMOUNT PER MONTH:__________________________________ DATE OF FIRST PAYMENT:________________________________ I AM A UK TAX PAYER AND WOULD LIKE TO GIFT AID MY MONTHLY DONATION
SIGNATURE:___________________________________DATE:___________________________
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Information for Parents Continued .. School Uniform Hot off the press! Desborough College has a new tracksuit available to pupils to buy from Goyals in Maidenhead. This can be used during PE sessions, particularly when the colder weather arrives and as part of the boys’ team kit when they compete.
Second Hand Uniform If parents have any second hand uniform, in good condition and would have no objection to donating this to the school, please contact Nuria White in Student Services.
Parent Volunteers Required from September 2016!
We are seeking parent volunteers to assist in our growing LRC to help with its administration, displays and catalogue. Desborough pupils love to read and the LRC provides a friendly and nurturing atmosphere for them all. Days are negotiable and we are looking for volunteers to spend around four hours a week throughout the academic year. Training will be provided in the LRC as well as in the College’s policies. Please contact our Librarian, Alison Hallissey (alisonhallissey@desborough-college.net), or the English KS3 Coordinator, Ruari Craig-Wood (ruaricraigwood@desborough-college.net), in the first instance.
Homework Club All students are welcome to attend Homework Club which takes place Monday-Friday from 3.15 until 5.00 pm in Room B10. Maths Sixth Form Tutors attend the session every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
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Information for Parents Continued ... Desborough College
Olympic 2016 Summer Reading Challenge This Summer why not challenge yourself to reading a new book! Summer is a perfect opportunity to spend time reading the book you have always wanted to read but never had the time to do it. Why not try a book in another language! Ask the MFL department for some ideas. Need ideas of what to read why not visit the school library before school closes or visit your local library over the holidays. Gold prizes : 1000 pages or 4 books Silver prizes : 750 pages or 3 books Bronze prizes : 500 pages or 2 books Medals for top readers across the year groups Prizes include : stationery, books, house points Star prizes for sharing pictures of you and your family reading over the Summer by posting them on the school Facebook page. Verification by Parent or Guardian required I the undersigned verify that my son has read…….pages over the Summer holidays Signed…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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Information for Parents Continued ... Parentview Gives you the chance To tell Ofsted what you think about It would be helpful if you could share your views of Desborough College with Ofsted. Please visit the website below even if you have done this previously.
http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/
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Information for Parents Continued ... Free Hot Meals For Students If you are in receipt of state benefits or you work less than 16 hours per week your son may be entitled to free schools meals. We believe that the FSM is a crucial entitlement to help ensure that all children, independent of their family income should be able to get a nutritious meal in the middle of the day. They also have important health and educational benefits for the children that receive them. All school providers are encouraged to introduce cashless systems so that children in receipt of FSM get this funding automatically. This was one of the reasons to improve our catering service. If you have any further questions, please contact the school on 01628 634505
Cashless Catering for Students Desborough has now introduced cashless catering for all our students and staff. Desborough College is working in partnership with Catering Academy to ensure a healthier delivery of food to all its students and staff. Our dining room is open from breakfast onwards and offers hot and cold drinks, snacks, and home cooked meals created by the chef on our site. Samples of the Catering Academy menus can be found on the school website. Once your child is registered for our cashless catering system just follow the instructions on our website for the sQuid online payment system, and your child will be able to buy food in our dining room without the worry of remembering to ensure they have cash with them. The cashless facility has allowed us to provide the students with a quicker service as no money and change is being handled. Please be aware that there is no cash facility at the tills.
http://www.desborough.org.uk/sQUID-Online-Payments
Next Principal’s Surgery Parents wishing to have a private conversation with me about any issues relating to school are invited to attend my Principal’s surgery. The next one will be held on 16 September from 8 am to 11 am. These sessions are 10 minute slots. If you wish to have a longer conversation then please book a separate appointment via Nicola Humphries on 01628 762521.
Desborough College Shoppenhangers Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 2QB Tel: 01628 634505 Fax: 01628 639263 E-Mail: info@desborough-college.net
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